The Carthage College women's basketball team (17-2, 8-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin), ranked 10th in the Jan. 28 "D3hoops.com" poll and ninth in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association/USA Today NCAA Division III poll, escaped Naperville, Ill., on Saturday, Feb. 1 with an 80-76 win over CCIW-opponent North Central College (10-10, 3-6 CCIW) at Gregory Arena at Merner Fieldhouse. 

The Lady Reds remain in sole possession of first place in the CCIW.  Second-place Illinois Wesleyan University (13-6, 7-1) was scheduled to play host to North Park University on Saturday, but that game was postponed to a winter storm.  Carthage has won 10 games in a row since losing to Coe College on Dec. 17.

The first half was close and a back-and-forth affair, with North Central inching away to a four-point lead at the break, 39-35.  The Cardinals extended their lead to seven points, 44-37, at 18:43 second period, but the Lady Reds used an 18-8 run to take a three-point lead, 55-52, at 13:27.  North Central went back up, 60-59, at 10:47, before Carthage tied the game, 65-65, at 8:12.  T

he Cardinals led, 66-65 at 6:24, but the Lady Reds went back up by four, 70-66, at 4:54.  North Central took a one-point lead, 73-72, at 3:16, but Carthage tied the game, 73-73, at 1:45.  The Cardinals took their final lead, 74-73, at 1:24.  The Lady Reds tied the game, 74-74, at 1:11 and went up, 76-74, with 52 seconds to play on a pair of free throws by Stephanie Kuzmanic.  North Central's Larynn Shumaker hit two free throws with 44 seconds remaining to tie the game at 76 all, but a Kuzmanic jumper with 17 seconds on the clock put Carthage up to stay, 78-76.  Kuzmanic then hit two more free throws with three seconds remaining for the final, 80-76 margin.

Carthage shot just 44 percent (32-73), including just two-of-19 from three-point range, while the Cardinals shot 33 percent (23-70), including 12-of-43 three-pointers.  Carthage had a 60-41 rebounding edge over North Central.  The Lady Reds got to the free-throw line 24 times and made 14, while the Cardinals connected on 18-of-26 free throws.

Carthage's Alexis Hahn (So., Itasca, Ill./Roselle-Lake Park) came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points on eight-of-10 field goals, along with six rebounds.  Stephanie Kuzmanic (Sr., Mount Prospect, Ill./Wheeling) scored 17 points on six-of-18 shooting and five-of-six free throws, along with six assists.  Taylor Boardman (So., Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way North), also coming off the bench, added 12 points on five-of-seven field goals with a game-high and career-high 13 boards.  Maryssa Cladis topped North Central with 14 points.

"That was an adventure," admitted Carthage coach Tim Bernero.  "We knew that someday, North Central might play more of a half-court game, and we reacted in sort of an indecisive way.  We had to persevere to get this one, and you have to give North Central some credit for that.  This was the biggest game of the year for them, and as the game went on, their bench and the  crowd started to think they might get this one.  Every time they got a rebound, it felt like they shot a three-pointer, and we didn't get very many clean looks in the post.  Stephanie Kuzmanic made some plays down the stretch and hit some free throws, and Taylor Boardman did a great job on the boards.  It wasn't pretty, but you don't apologize for winning.  Not every game is going to perfect, and I told our team that on your way to a conference championship, you're going to have some games that you don't feel good about.  We got the result we wanted."

Carthage plays host to conference-opponent Wheaton College (Ill., 15-4, 6-3) on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in a 7 p.m. game at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.